Digital Pharma: Janssen gets animated about ADHD

Janssen-Cilag has launched a new UK campaign to raise awareness of ADHD among teenagers, their parents and teachers.

The campaign’s centrepiece is a short animated film that shows the perspective of a child with the condition and the daily challenges they can face at home and at school.

It uses a creative technique called 'rotoscoping', where real actors are filmed and then converted into hyper-real animations.

Janssen has also set up a dedicated YouTube channel where the video can be viewed and where - unusually for a pharma channel on the video-sharing site – the comments facility has been switched on.

User comments will only be posted by they are reviewed by the company, which notes that comments about specific products or treatments, whether sold by Janssen-Cilag or not, will not be posted.

The film was developed following interviews with a range of patients, parents, doctors and teachers, and is accompanied by the educational Living With ADHD website, which has sections for parents, teenagers and teachers.

Dr Graeme Lamb, NHS Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at the Newham Child & Family Consultation Service said: "Parents often do not know where to go to get information about ADHD and what to do to get help. I am in favour of anything that provides parents with clear and credible information about ADHD.

“If they come to a consultation with their healthcare professional armed with knowledge about the condition and potential management strategies we can take the discussion on from there. This visual way of sharing information about ADHD is very creative and will help to educate people about ADHD in an engaging manner. I would happily recommend it to any parents I see."

Janssen, which markets ADHD treatment Concerta XL, said the confusion and misunderstanding that surround the condition prompted the campaign’s development.

It aims to counter the myth that 'ADHD' is just an excuse for 'badly behaved kids' by providing information, support and advice on the issues sufferers may face.

Janssen will augment its efforts with a separate targeted education campaign for teachers to ensure that they are informed about ADHD, and how to support it in schools.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterised by three core symptoms: inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity.

It is estimated that only about 25% of children with ADHD in the UK get diagnosed, leaving about 300,000 families to manage its affects on their own.

Dominic Tyer is web editor for Pharmafocus and InPharm.com and the author of the Digital Pharma blog He can be contacted via email, Twitter or LinkedIn.